VW's Passat investigated by U.S. for fire risk

Volkswagen AG Passat cars are being investigated by the U.S. for fires in the engine compartment that may be related to ignition-coil failures.

Passat cars for model years 2002 and 2003 have been the subject of 10 reports of fires and six complaints of coil failures that didn’t cause a fire, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its website.

Drivers reported that the check-engine or other dashboard lights were illuminated before fires, and some vehicles had ignition coils that failed and were replaced more than once, NHTSA said. The investigation covers almost 200,000 cars.

“Volkswagen takes all of these reports very seriously,” Kerry Christopher, a U.S.-based spokesman for Volkswagen, said today in an interview. “We intend to work with NHTSA and fully investigate these complaints.”

Volkswagen, based in Wolfsburg, Germany, in June recalled 15,902 Routan minivans because rear-door latches could short- circuit and catch fire.